The search for a starter; meetings on deck; & other stuff

Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers has made no secret about his preference to add a veteran starting pitcher to his rotation. I’m not sure he needs to do that – we’ll get into the reasons why later – but if he does, free-agent reliever Brandon McCarthy makes a ton of sense.

We know the Diamondbacks like McCarthy and that they’re one of probably many teams to have reached out to him in recent weeks. We also know they were on him two years ago, offering a minor league deal before the Oakland A’s swooped in and guaranteed him $1 million and a roster spot.

McCarthy turned out to be an excellent pickup for the A’s. Using his newly honed two-seam fastball, he increased his ground-ball rate and turned in the two best seasons of his career, posting a 3.32 ERA in 170 2/3 innings in 2011 and a 3.24 ERA in 111 innings this year.

His 2012 season ended in early September when he was struck on the head by a line drive off the bat of the Angels’ Erick Aybar. McCarthy sustained an epidural hemorrhage, brain contusion and skull fracture, but he was cleared two weeks ago to resume baseball activities.

The line drive was a freak play, but the one concern with McCarthy remains his durability. He’s had repeated issues with his right shoulder over the past several years. He’s only reached the 100-inning mark three times in his career.

Still, given the depth the Diamondbacks have in their rotation, they would seemingly be well-equipped to handle a disabled list stint or two if McCarthy were go down. And considering the high quality of the innings he does provide, he’d still figure to be worth the investment.

Think of him like Ben Sheets from five years ago: You weren’t sure how many innings Sheets would provide, but you knew they would be All-Star caliber when he was out there.

And given that he would only cost money – not other players or prospects – he’s clearly preferable to having to acquire another pitcher via trade.

But do the Diamondbacks really need another starting pitcher? They have Ian Kennedy, Trevor Cahill and Wade Miley lined up as their top three starters.

Kennedy and Cahill, at least, look like very good bets to give you 200 innings. Each have thrown at least 194 innings in three consecutive seasons. Miley threw 194 innings last year as a rookie. He’s obviously less proven than the other two, but you’ve got to feel pretty good about his chances of being an effective part of the rotation next season, too.

After that, the Diamondbacks have two vacancies and several candidates: As it stands, Tyler Skaggs, Trevor Bauer and Pat Corbin are the most likely pitchers to battle for those two spots.

Beyond that, there’s Josh Collmenter, who figures to slot into the bullpen to open the year. There’s also Chase Anderson and Charles Brewer on the 40-man roster.

Come July, right-hander Daniel Hudson figures to be ready to return from Tommy John surgery.

Beyond all those guys, there’s David Holmberg, Andrew Chafin and Anthony Meo. And then there’s whoever else they might sign as minor league free agents for depth in Triple-A Reno.

Teams generally get between 900-1,000 innings out of their starting rotation. If you think Kennedy, Cahill and Miley can give you 600, is it a stretch to think all those other guys could pick up the other 400 – especially knowing Hudson will be back by the end of July?

All of those pitchers mentioned have minor league options remaining. The Diamondbacks could simply shuffle them back and forth to the minors as they look for the hot hand. To an extent, that’s kind of what the A’s did this year, riding a slew of young arms into the playoffs.

Getting another starter makes sense. But if you have to pay the price in prospects to make it happen, perhaps the Diamondbacks should be hesitant. If it were me, I’d lean toward the free-agent market – toward someone like McCarthy, Dan Haren or Shaun Marcum, guys who are coming off injuries that might be looking to rebuild their value on short-term deals.

Besides, even if any of those guys do go down with an injury, you still have enough organizational pitching depth to survive.

***

Diamondbacks people seem to expect something to happen at next week’s winter meetings. If it’s not a trade of right fielder Justin Upton, perhaps it will be another outfielder who is moved (Jason Kubel? Gerardo Parra?).

Despite some rumblings today about the Upton brothers being reunited in Atlanta, I was told today the Braves have given zero indication that they’re willing to move shortstop Andrelton Simmons. And, from what I understand, the Diamondbacks aren’t trading Upton to Atlanta without Simmons being a part of the deal.

One name to keep in mind next week: Asdrubal Cabrera. The Indians seem willing to move their shortstop and the Diamondbacks are interested. The question is whether they’re going to be willing to part with the pitching prospects necessary.

Over the past two seasons, Cabrera has compiled a 118 OPS+, the second-best mark (trailing only Jose Reyes) of any shortstop in the major leagues. His two-season average: .272/.335/.443. He does not, however, grade out well defensively. UZR hates him (almost as much as it hates Derek Jeter) and he doesn’t rank high in the Fielding Bible Plus/Minus numbers, either.

So the question becomes: Is six years of control of one of those young pitchers (Bauer, Skaggs, Corbin) worth two years of Cabrera?

That’s just one of the many questions the Diamondbacks are likely mulling as they prepare for next week’s meetings.

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